Tuesday, January 31, 2006

‘Make My Day’ law could be extended. Colorado's Castle Doctrine law, known as the "Make My Day" law, in honor of Dirty Harry, may be extended so that your rights of self-defense don't stop at your front door.

The proposed changes would give people similar rights "to use deadly force to defend themselves in a hotel room or vehicle." The current legislation does not include your place of business or anywhere else. Not as broad as Florida's law, but still a step in the right direction.

Self-defense is a human right. Access to effective means of self-defense is critical if that right is to mean anything.[Technorati Tag: castle doctrine]

Wisconsin remains one of only 4 states to deny concealed carry to its citizens.

Of course I believe the Wisconsin Supreme Court will have to rule on the issue. Perhaps Wisconsin will be one of the states to allow open carry. (The Wisconsin State Constitution has a clause about keeping and bearing arms for your own protection.)

Democrats prove once again that they don't trust the people, even when evidence from 35 states that have "shall issue" concealed carry and 9 states that have "may issue" concealed carry laws show that there is no problem. [2 states require no permit] The Democratic Elite know what is best for the citizens of Wisconsin (and the US).

The article I read today is a case in point. It is even a good article - it covers some of the myths that cloud domestic violence, and covers the progression that the attacks usually go through. The article, Torrance seminar seeks domestic violence solutions, covers getting help, but the type of help discussed is severely limited.

[One victim of violence] had recognized the danger she was in and did what she could to protect herself. She got a restraining order and tried to keep her distance.

Unfortunately this was not enough. She was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend.

In those few moments that you have when faced with violent attacker - be they ex-lover or random street thug - you are beyond the help of police (who are many minutes away even if have a chance to call). You have to be able to meet a violent attack with some resistance. Whether you choose to study the martial arts, buy a Taser or carry a firearm is up to you. But relying on the system is a recipe for disaster. Even when the system works perfectly, it cannot respond fast enough to stop a tragedy in most situations.

If these organizations truly want people who are battered and stalked to be safe, they would embrace effective self-defense. It is my cynical nature that assumes they do not want to solve the problem. Without a constant supply of victims, victims' rights advocates would be out of business.

As you may or may not already be aware, members of the Watcher's Council hold a vote every week on what they consider to be the most link-worthy pieces of writing around... per the Watcher's instructions, I am submitting one of my own posts for consideration in the upcoming nominations process.

A woman is threatened with a knife, and shoots the person who hit and punched her and then got a knife. The prosecution said she wasn't injured enough to justify defense. Should she have waited to be stabbed? This is why the new Castle Doctrine laws are needed - to control prosecution of self-defense.

"He was shouting and yelling, banging on the door and telling them to open the door and she said you don't belong here and went and got her husband," said Sgt. Brian Goetschius with the Texas City police.

By that time, police say the intruder, identified as David Wayne Stewart, 26, kicked in the front door of Jackson's house and was inside. That's when police say Jackson got a gun and opened fire, shooting and killing Stewart.

If you kick in my door, I guess I would consider you a threat - I think most reasonable people would. It is an aggressive, violent act. What aggressive violent acts are you going to do next? Stewart was described as drunk, and he was described as "hot tempered" when drunk by his father.

Investigators said Soto entered the house by removing a window screen and forcing open the window. The 65-year-old homeowner, who lives with his wife, confronted Soto after returning from the bathroom.

Authorities said the two men fought in the bedroom before the homeowner grabbed a pistol from a nightstand and fired one shot.

Was he confused and in the wrong home? No one can say, but that is how it appears to investigators.

Neither homeowner was arrested, as both cases are clearly justified. A reasonable person would believe there was a threat of death or grave bodily injury. The homeowners acted appropriately.

He often accuses men with guns of "compensating for something." The truth is quite the reverse. After all, how is he supposed to feel knowing there are men out there who aren't intimidated by the big bad inanimate villain? How is he to feel in the face of adolescent boys who have used the family gun effectively in defending the family from an armed intruder? So if he can't touch a gun, he doesn't want other men to be able to either. And to achieve his ends, he'll use the only weapon he knows how to manipulate: the law.

She comes pretty close to the mark. The Clinton "gun ban" of course only dealt with weapons that looked scary. [KABA]

The whole thing is worth a look. But the real message is that crime is down substantially from a peak in 1993. It continues to go down, even though the number of guns in America continues to rise. Perhaps crime is down because of the rise in guns.

You can't miss that since the late 80s and early 90s when 15 states had "Shall Issue" concealed carry laws until today, when 44 states have "Shall Issue" and only 4 states block concealed carry all together, that we have become a much safer society. Florida passed "Shall Issue" concealed carry in 1987, and started the current round of laws.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Well I couldn't find any intersting guns (that I could afford) at the gun show today. I have strange urge to buy an SKS, but I have no where to store one and no real "need." Though I suppose need is a questionable idea.

If I had a house, or lived ashore in any abode, I would have an SKS and 1000 rounds in a closet - just in case something like Katrina happened. I saw a wonderful Yugo SKS for about 200 bucks. No cosmoline. Great bore. Decent furniture. Oh well.

On side note, does anyone have anything to say (good or bad) about the Jimenez Arms 9mm or 380? The fact that California hates them is almost enough to sell me, but not quite. The 380 seems to be a better built pocket gun than the Kel-tek, but I have not shot either one.Instead of a firearm, I decided on an edged weapon. I do love edged weapons, but the good ones are so expensive. A hand ground, tool-steel blade is likely to be 300 bucks, and decent sword will cost at least 700 or more. (You can spend a hundred thousand on a sword, if you are so inclined.)

I will settle for something a bit less expensive from Kershaw. A Ken Onion folder in 440 stainless steel, with red aluminum frame, track tek inserts and an assisted opening, liner-lock frame with a recurve, drop-point blade. I am happy.

[Christian Peacemaker Teams, a pacifist group,] in a press release today blames the U-S occupation of Iraq for the kidnappings.

They can't blame the kidnappers - that wouldn't be anti-American enough to ensure more donations.

And are these people serious? Did they really expect the release of all prisoners held in Iraq? Of course not. Saddam is a prisoner held in Iraq, remember. They are just waiting for a slow news day to execute their prisoners to be sure the alphbet networks and cable news drive their cause to the front of the news pages.

JS Online: Senate overrides weapons veto. The Senate has overridden Gov. Doyle's veto of the law. The Assembly will vote next week. People counting votes on both sides of the issue claim enough votes to either uphold or override the veto. I guess we will see on Tuesday.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal does a fine if subtle spin on the story. The first few paragraphs are all fact. Then they start in with the detailed quotes of those opposed. One senator is worried that the bill may be changed in future sessions of the legislation. If that really worries him, he would NEVER vote any law, because it might be changed in the future. (JS doesn't point this out.)

No mention is made of the experience other states have with similar bills when the opponents of concealed carry talk about what concerns they have. The do unbend enough to admit that Wisconsin is one of only 4 states without some form of concealed carry legislation.

A word about "cars." All of these laws include your home or your vehicle. The press cannot see beyond vehicles=cars. The problem is that many states categorize mobile homes as vehicles legally. I live on a boat. It is a vehicle. Under the new Florida law I have the same right to self defense as if I lived in a more traditional home.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

"The basic intent is to allow students with concealed weapons permits to be able to carry their gun with them on campus just like they can anywhere else in the state," he said. "You can count the number of exceptions on one hand."

The left is of course distressed about this. More upset than they are about rapes that occur on campuses everywhere.

It is a long way from being law, but it has been introduced. [NRA-ILA]

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Police were called to the Stone Castle Motel near Bloomsburg early Tuesday morning after a domestic dispute. There they found James Dick, 18 months, and his brother, Creed Dick, 4, shot to death. Their mother, Betty Dick, 27, had also been shot. She survived and is recovering in the hospital.

Compare the actions of this moster to the actions of the mother in this story. I will never understand what drives these men to kill their families. He tried to kill himself and failed.

Anyway, a customer was 9 bucks short on fare, and said he would get the balance and return.

Instead, [St. Louis Police Capt. James] Gieseke said, he returned with [16-year-old Corey] Blanks, who had a sawed-off shotgun.

Gieseke said the two tried to rob the cabbie, but the cabbie pulled out a pistol and shot Blanks after the teen pointed the shotgun at him. The cabbie picked up the shotgun and fled in his cab, which police found an hour later, Gieseke said.

Police have the cab driver in custody, hoping that they can charge him with something.

Fearing for their lives, Craig Landu and his girlfriend, Mathapelo Molema, cowered under the blankets on their bed and watched as two men ransacked their Solyet Court flat on Monday, taking three tog bags of clothing, shoes, his camera, appliances and other possessions.

It is only through luck these two were unharmed. They could not have prevented a rape or a murder by cowering under blankets.

The law permits the use of guns and knives by people in homes or workplaces to protect lives or belongings.

The reform was introduced by the Northern League party, a right-wing member of the ruling coalition with a strong anti-crime platform.

The Left has their knickers in a knot. They "expressed concern" that it would result in an increased use of firearms. I hope it does. I hope every law-abiding Italian goes out and gets a brand new .357 magnum (or whatever they choose) and that a rash of burglars/home invaders/rapists/et al are met with the swift justice of self-defense.

The Justice Minister, Roberto Castelli, gets the last word.

Today criminals will have more to fear while there will be fewer problems for honest people.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

ABC News: Documents Show Katrina Warnings Ignored. If you sit and watch a category 5 storm heading for you - Katrina was downgraded hours before landfall, and only turned to the east at about the same time - who is as fault that you have to deal with consequences.

Katrina was heading for NOLA for 3 or 4 days as a cat 5 storm. In 2 days over flat ground, a reasonably healthy adult can walk at least 50 miles. You only need shoes, water and a little food. This would not have been open country hiking - there are (or were) roads in that part of LA.

Even after the storm hit, people could have walked out of the disaster.

This would have left the city, county, state and FEMA to deal with the sick, the infirm and the elderly. But the number should have been much smaller than 100,000 who did nothing to prepare, and did nothing after the fact.

The government in not your mother; it is not the job of the government to take care of you.

It would be "impossible" for a teacher jailed for firing an air pistol during a stand-off with "yobs" to get her job back, an employment tribunal heard today.

While the UK has no trouble employing sex-offenders as teachers.

In her statement to MPs on Thursday Ms. Kelly identified 88 individuals who had not been banned from working in schools, even though they had committed sex offences or were being monitored on the sex offenders' register.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Independent Online Edition > Crime I thought they got rid of guns... apparently not. With parts of the country seeing 50% increases in gun crime, guns are readily available.

Weapons cost between £45 and £2,000. Converted replicas cost from £300 to £1,000. Popular models include:

LUGER, WALTHER P38 AND WEBLEY MK 4: All used in WW2 but many still serviceable. Often used by older gangsters. Cost: £150.

BROCOCK MAGNUM: Revolver. Originally designed as an air pistol. Can be converted to fire live .22 ammunition. Cost: £130.

9MM GLOCK 17L: Semi-automatic. Used by élite police and military forces around the world. Very reliable. Cost: £150-£400.

9MM BROWNING: Semi-automatic. Flooded the streets of London after the Falklands war, smuggled back by soldiers.

One Pound is about $1.78 today, making that £45-entry-level pistol worth about $80. If the supply had been dried up by Britain's (completely worthless) gun ban, one would think the cost would be higher.

Gunbroker is not cooperating so I can't look up the value of Glock 17L, if anyone knows please leave a comment. The price listed here doesn't seem to be more than what would be charged in a gunstore in the US. [Hat Tip KABA]

A family who took in an illegal immigrant as a boarder paid for it with the lives of their two children, whose skulls he bludgeoned with a hammer before kidnapping their mother, authorities said yesterday.

Kidnapping so that he could force her to withdraw money from an ATM machine.

Neighbors were (can you guess?) "shocked." The (alleged) mutant was described as "sweet," and "polite." I guess he was very well manered right up to the point where he beat two kids' heads in with a hammer.

The UN is not the friend of the small guy. They UN is the friend of governments - no matter how oppressive they are.

The speech in question? The Pakistani woman gang-raped by order of tribal counsel was to speak to the General Assmebly. But this would have been "embarrassing" to the Pakistani government, so her talk was canceled. [hat tip Free Thoughts]

The Resplendent Mango: Art and America An intersting look at how ingrained the anti-American outlook of the left really is. In a visit to a museum, Mango's liberal friend was surprised to find that good things (art) comes out of America.

But the dumbfounding thing to me was the belief that if it's amazing, it couldn't have been done by an American. I mean, we've only invented the car, computer, home espresso maker, the polio vaccine, deep-dish pizza, gel insole, jazz, musical theatre, basketball, football, put a man on the moon, found the Titanic, saved Europe's sorry hide from destruction at least twice, and managed to offer liberty to millions of people from around the world, both by toppling tyrants and by opening our golden door to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

When your basic assumption is that America sucks, it is hard to few anything with objectivity.

Europe's most successful companies are turning their backs on EU markets because of red tape, a high-level report said yesterday....The lack of investment was so dire that it threatened Europe's "comfortable" way of life. "Europe has to act before it's too late," said the report's author, Esko Aho, the former prime minister of Finland.

Communism and Socialism only work if everyone plays along. The realities of global competition mean that money and jobs will move away from countries that impose too many ridiculous laws.

Once upon time, I worked for a large multi-national doing high-tech manufacturing in various countries around the world. We wrote the software for running the manufacturing lines in the US. We had to have special versions of the software for Germany because we could not - even by implication - track the productivity of individual workers. That would have been too much like capitalism. We were tracking who was qualified to run which operations via a security module and we were tracking the position of every piece of product on the assembly line because the cost of each item was high enough that standard accounting rules dictated serial number tracking not just by part number. So we could tell how long any individual spent working on any individual part. This was forbidden by German law.

Europe seems to be in the position of a pensioner who is consuming his investment capital. But Europe cannot hope to die before the money runs out.

The indicators of trouble are everywhere. Here is one:

[The] report listed a string of gloomy indicators. In 1992, six out of the 10 top-selling pharmaceuticals were produced by European companies. In 2002, this figure had fallen down to two. European firms invested billions more in the United States than US firms invested in Europe.

Investment dollars, education and other indicators all point to Europe falling behind.

The excuse is that Europeans are "comfortable." But that is only true in some areas. Do you remember the riots in France? Those young men (of non-specific ethnic background) who were burning all those cars, were not comfortable.

The European leaders response? Throw money at the old industries, cars, steel, etc. In short the leadership is beholden to the unions, who don't appear to want change, and are unwilling to face reality. A reality that includes the many problems in the "suburbs of Paris," for example.

On second thought, we have no idea why this should have surprised us. The Junior Senator from Vietnam with the fresh-def perspective on urban culture has always kept his finger on the pulse of the Me Generation.

And of course, Kerry is playing the part of "angry liberal."

What makes John Kerry angry? Not things like genocide in Darfur or Saddam Hussein burying hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis in mass graves or the incredibly harsh repression in North Korea. He wasn't even angry enough about Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 to support US intervention.

No, Senator Kerry can live with the little mishaps of life like genocide and torture. Who among us has not had a little intentional mass murder in their past? No, it's mistakes that cannot be excused. The idea that our government, over four years ago, with a limited number of troops, could fail to find one man in remote mountainous terrain during wartime just infuriates the good Senator.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Then in what appears to be a murder/suicide attempt, he covered himself in flamable liquid and set himself on fire.

The 23-year-old victim, Mary Kate Dasaro, was killed shortly after calling police to say her former boyfriend was at her front door, trying to break in, according to LAPD Detective Mike DePasquale.

Officers sent to the home in the 7500 block of Cowan Avenue, about a mile from Loyola Marymount University where her father is a faculty member, found the kindergarten teacher dead shortly after 10 a.m.

Investigators believe Nelson was angry over the couple's recent breakup after five years of dating, DePasquale said. Authorities told NBC4 Dasaro had a restraining order against Nelson.

"Apparently, she wouldn't let him into the house, so he broke into the house and he armed himself with a knife we believe he got from the house," the detective said. "He attacked the victim and stabbed her to death."

A gun may not have saved Mary Kate Dasaro, but it is clear that the LAPD was powerless to save her. Calling 911 and hoping for the best is not a strategy I am willing to bet my life on.

He violates a restraining order, and then is "enraged" when he finds his ex-girlfriend has a new boyfriend.

[Marcelene] Robinson, 41, answered the door thinking it might be her daughter. The man [name not released], who police say was violating a protective order by visiting Robinson's home, saw [Aaron] Sterling and became enraged, according to the report.

The man pushed through the door, knocking Robinson out of the way, and charged Sterling, police said. Sterling produced a .44-caliber handgun and fired one shot that struck the victim in the groin, police said.

He died later at the hospital.

Let's be clear on this. He was not a "victim." He violated a court order, and by his actions was clearly intent on doing harm to Aaron Sterling. Sterling was not charged in the shooting because it was clearly self-defense. This anonymous man was not a victim, he was the aggressive party.

A 29 year relationship ends, so he decides no one should live. She moved out and had gone back to collect some furniture that belonged to her.

According to a police report filed by Ptlm. W.J. Gilley, who was among the first officers on the scene, the woman told him she and Jenkins were sitting on the back porch of the house talking, when he asked if he could have one more hug.

As the couple embraced, Jenkins allegedly withdrew a handgun and shot the woman in the left side of the head before turning the gun on himself.

No fighting, no shouting, just one shot to the head. He told relatives that he "just wanted to talk."

So he can't be charged with violation of the order - filed on December 5th - because it was never served. Tell me again how restraining orders are the magic shield designed to protect people from violent spouses.

A nice profile of Gary Sinise, a celebrity working to improve condtions for school children in Iraq through the organization he helped start, Operation Iraq Children. OIC is doing some wonderful work in Iraq.

Also a nice profile of Major Mary Prophit with the Civil Affairs team.

He said "it would just put more guns on the street." It would do more than that. It would give the law-abiding citizens the right and the ability to defend themselves from criminal attack. But being a good Democrat, Doyle doesn't want people to defend themselves, he wants them to cry for help (dial 911) and hope that help arrives before they are shot, raped, stabbed, beaten, or whatever other horror awaits them at the hands of the criminals.

He doesn't care about the 44 other states that have concealed carry laws and the lack of problems.

He doesn't care about all of the women who will be raped because they are made defenseless by the state.

He doesn't care about anyone who will be a victim because they were denied effective means of self-defense.

It was on January 20, 1981 - on the eve of Ronald Reagan taking over from Jimmy Carter - that the Iranian Hostage Crisis came to an end.

Joe Hall, now 56, of Lenox, Ga., was an Army operations coordinator at the embassy who was interrogated and beaten. He said that a show of force by the U.S. early in the crisis could have prevented atrocities in recent years by sending a message of intolerance for terrorism.

Six helecopters in the desert is not a military response. It was the first of several lessons the middle east got about US Democrats willingness to wage war - or lack of willingness. (The events portrayed in Black Hawk Down was another.) Reagan was another Republican President called a "cowboy" by the US and European media. Given that this reputation ended the hostage crisis, and went a long way in the negotiations with the Soviet Union, I would hope GW Bush views the appellation as a compliment.

He's a walking, stalking contradiction: a long-haired, head-banging rocker who is also on the National Rifle Association's board of directors, a guitar god who has never ingested drugs or alcohol, a Detroit-bred guy who espouses a primitive, hunting-gathering lifestyle.

As the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent has sold more than 30 million albums. But at 57, he is increasingly better known as a latter-day King of the Jungle.

Many Marines said the training they received was different from the stationary, known-distance courses they encounter at the rifle range.

“On the range we did practical application on cover and concealment, night shooting, and strong and off-hand shooting,” said Sgt. Rodney S. Bistham with MP Company.

Based on this it sounds like they covered part of the Practical Pistol course, which deals with cover and concealment. Any additional training is good. I hope this makes these Marines better prepared for Iraq.

Former President Jimmy Carter told GQ magazine for a January article that he saw a UFO in 1969 in southwest Georgia as he was preparing to speak at a Lions Club meeting. He recalled that it was a bright light that got "closer and closer to us," but then "changed color to blue," then to red, then back to white, and then "receded into the distance."

He worries that the US military will get us involved in an extra-terrestial war. (He is watching too much Stargate SG1.)

The left of course is having trouble painting pictures of impending "wild west" shoot outs.

Wisconsin is one of only four states that bans concealed weapons.

Given that such shoot outs have not broken out in Florida (CCW since '87) or Washington State (CCW for about 50 years) or any of the other states where carrying concealed weapons is allowed puts a bit of crimp in their favorite fear-mongering falsehood.

Thomas Daugherty, 17, and Brian Hooks, 18, face charges of murder and aggravated battery (one of the 3 victims died). Tommy Daugherty seemed upset that killing someone had landed him in trouble. The judge refused to release him to house arrest, and put him in Juvenile detention for 21 days while the prosecutor decides if he is to be charged as an adult.

Friends describe Tommy as "nice," a "good kid," a "sweet kid." I would hate to think what a mean kid (as so defined by these people) would do.

His lawyer described Tommy Daugherty as "a very nice, average, middle-class teenager." If true, that would be a horrible commentary on our society. But the fact is that the average middle-class teenager is not charged with beating a man to death for the fun of it.

Michael Mayo wants to understand. In an open letter he titles "Dear Savages" (calling them Neanderthals would be an insult to the cavemen) he asks questions and then reminds me of an old movie.

The video was grotesquely reminiscent of the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange, in which Malcolm McDowell's gang of soulless marauding youths engage "in a bit of the old ultra-violence" at the expense of an aging hobo, just for the sport of it.

Only this was worse. This was real.

And that description fits the youths that beat two homeless men and killed one homeless man in South Florida - Soulless, marauding youths, whether it was Tommy and Brian or someone different.

So were Thomas Daugherty's teary eyes the result of remorse, or was he just upset that he got caught and is afraid of the consequences? They didn't show remorse when the beatings were taking place.

"It looked like they were laughing, like this was something humorous," Scott Russell [who just retired from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department] said. "To get such joy at someone else's expense is a sad commentary in and of itself."

Mayo talks about achieving some level of understanding, some answer to the question, "Why?". I don't think I will ever understand monsters who resort to violence for no reason. Even less in a case like this where the reason appears to be "fun" and the violence appears to be random.

Like it says in the side-bar disclaimer, everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. [via Florida Cracker]

Right to protection paramount | ajc.com A solid, straight forward explanation of what GA is proposing (and what Florida already has!) in the legislation that would remove the "duty to retreat" if attacked.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

This basic philosophy is the foundation of the American psyche and way of life. However, without life, the pursuit of happiness and liberty would not exist. The ability to preserve these rights should be as fundamental as the rights themselves.

Well I should have expected that when one of the questions dealt with what was the highest level of mathematics course you took.... (Graduate level courses in the theory of computation, Real Analysis - multidimensional calculus, Complex Analysis - calculus in multiple dimensions using imaginary numbers – and Cryptography)

Monday, January 16, 2006

'If you value your life carry a weapon' | the Daily Mail [Update: This article has been pulled from the Daily Mail, even though they routinely keep stories around for weeks. Couldn't be that the British police state is now silencing freedom of expression, could it? A Google search so far has only turned up the most sanitized of Rod Eastman's comments.]

No police, unarmed police, courts that turn criminals loose with little or no punishment. What did the Brits think was going to happen.

The British government has decided that they will not protect the average citizen.

In a bitter denunciation of the lack of police officers on the beat and the lenience of the courts, Rod Eastman said it was better to risk arrest for carrying an offensive weapon than risk being murdered by muggers.

Mr Eastman made these comments after his daughter's fiance was killed. [KABA]

Rizk was attacked by Steven Wasserman, an ex-boyfriend armed with a 2-foot sword on Oct. 25, the day she went to court to extend a restraining order against him.

Wasserman was charged with attempted murder and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

"Restraining orders are nothing," Rizk told the Reno Gazette-Journal after a two-month hospital stay. "Women need to take it upon themselves and maybe get a gun. ... I didn't realize how much danger I was in."

If they don't respect the law (it is illegal to batter), and don't respect your right to tell them to get lost, are they going to respect a court order?

Sunday, January 15, 2006

The Washington Post has come out in favor of the confirmation of Judge Alito to the Supreme Court. Although he would not have been their choice,

Judge Alito should be confirmed, both because of his positive qualities as an appellate judge and because of the dangerous precedent his rejection would set.

The tactics of the Dems are described as "smear" tactics.

He is exactly the type of Justice President Bush promised to appoint durring the last election cycle. And since Bush won the election his choice, in the words of the Post, "is due deference."

Yes, the court will become more conservative. But we have a conservative President, a Republican controlled Senate and a Republican controlled House of Representatives. To say that a conservative Justice is "out of step" with the country (or whatever the Dems were saying) is just denial on the part of the Democrats. [hat tip Right Side of the Rainbow]

The Jericho 941 - sold in this country as the Baby Eagle - is the weapon of choice of Spike Spiegel, one of the "the Cowboys," a group of futuristic bounty hunters. Produced by Israeli Military Industries, the international version was sold with barrels and other accessories so that it could shoot either 9mm or .41 Action Express. .41 AE having not caught on, it is now sold as 9mm only. Lately I believe that they have offerred versions in .40 S&W and .45 ACP.

Some of the things I like about anime are the weapons; they are almost always something I recognize: Glocks, Chief-special revolvers, .50 caliber sniper rifles. Sometimes they are stylized, but often they are true to reality, even when they are described as antiques from the early 21st centrury.

Two 15-year-old boys were arrested Monday for allegedly dragging a University of Florida student inside a bathroom at the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and raping her during the weekend, according to the University of Florida Police Department.

Safety worries EMU students After several rapes on and around campus much is made about making students "feel safe." I would be happier if the students actually were safe.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Ted Kennedy (the King of Tact and Class) has published a new Children's Book. What is not generally known is that he is branching out and is writing several non-fiction works as well. A few of the titles under development with his publisher, Bloviating Windbag Press, are listed here.

"Splash; Or Monumentally Insensitive Names for Your Pets."

"How to Subpeona Documents from the Library of Congress; A Liberal's Guide to Creating a Tempest in a Teapot"

"Ted Kennedy's Water Rescue Techniques" (Unfortunately, Mary Jo Kopechne was not available to review this work.)

Both Georgia and Mississippi have introduced enhanced Castle Doctrine laws which include "Stand your ground" clauses. This is similar to legislation enacted last year in Florida. The Brady Bunch and other victim-disarmers are opposed. These bills remove a duty to retreat, not written in law, but invented by case law in many states.

Anytime someone threatens you or attacks you, you do not have to retreat, you can stand your ground.

The Brady Bunch - in the person of Peter Hamm - says this "goes too far" and calls gun-owners "the most aggressive people in society." He does not mention that "no duty to retreat" is the law in many states. He does not describe his vision for self-defense.

The gun-controllers are always opposed to anything that enhances your ability to defend yourself. They want us to just call911 and hope for the best. They want you to turn over management of your entire life - but especially your safety - to the state.

No one should have to turn their back on a threat to themselves or their children in an attempt to flee. Turning your back on a threat is always a bad idea. (If you ignore it it will not go away.) Self-defense is a human right.

In the NYC school district, the school board had to continue to pay a self-acknowledged sex offender (the teacher was sending graphic sexual emails to a 16-year-old student, and ADMITTED it!) for six years, more than $300K, while the district jumped through the hoops of the teacher's union rigid and unforgiving contract. They have four so-called "rubber rooms" in NYC, costing the taxpayers more than $20 million a year to house teachers that are so deviant (sexual offenders, abusive teachers, racists, teachers who showed up to teach intoxicated) that although the school board cannot fire them, they would rather pay them to sit in empty auditoriums than let them anywhere near the children.

Can't expect to have teachers ranked on merit. Hell we can't even seem to fire the ones that are so bad we don't want to let them near a classroom.

Friday, January 13, 2006

American Chronicle: Domestic Violence Perpetrators Protected by Politics Lot's of complaining about the fact that the courts and the police often fail to protect battered women. Legal action to collect child support is often required, but they can garnish his wages. People don't follow the rules, but the courts can enforce the rules through contempt hearings.

The piece ends with this question

So my question is, at what moment in time, when the police fail to do their jobs, the courts can’t make him behave; children aren’t sleeping, going to school, for fear Mommy will be killed, when is “It was either his life or mine”, justified?

Use of deadly force in self-defense is justified when the threat of death or grave bodily injury is imminent. If you have a restraining order and he breaks into your house (at least in Florida and most sane states) you are justified in believing your safety is at risk. Actually even if you don't have a restraining order, anyone breaking into your house (in Florida) is assumed to be there with violent intent. Blow his brains out. I recommend something in .40 or .45 caliber, or a .357 with hollow points. A 9mm would be fine if it has a large magazine. A 12 gauge shotgun also would work well.

What you are not justified in doing is setting fire to him while he is asleep. Poisoning him. Shooting him while he is asleep. Etc. The threat must be imminent.

I will admit that cases involving emotional abusers are tougher to crack. But restraining orders are still available in these cases.

Resistance is futile!: Carnival of Cordite #43 Discussion of what you might want to have if the zombies come calling, and some discussion of what the zombies appear to have been up to. ("Avoid New York City, where Mayor Bloomberg's brain has apparently already been eaten by zombies!")

What is interesting is the way the NPR shaded the reporting to make Kennedy look better than he did in real life. (Ink Well has both the full transcript and the NPR lies version of the story.)

For decades, we of the American public got only the sanitized NPR-style version of public and partisan events, including judicial confirmations. Read that NPR story again--you’ll notice how it subtly makes Alito’s supposed duplicity over his CAP membership the focus of the controversy, not Kennedy’s boorish and bullying behavior and continued state of denial over the fact that the Democrats are no longer in charge of the Senate or the Senate Judiciary Committee. Note the words "increasing the number of women and minority students"--that’s liberal-speak for racial and gender quotas. The non-issue aspect of the necessity to subpoena the CAP documents (whose thousands of pages, by the way, were combed over last night by committee staffers, who found no mention whatsoever of Samuel Alito) was also never raised in the NPR story: the fact that you don’t have to subpoena records a) that are available to the public at America’s public library, and b) whose release was consented to by their donor, former National Review publisher William Rusher.

Why would you subpoena public records? Because you are to fat and lazy to go look at the records yourself at the public library, or because you hope to create a tempest in a teapot - a controversy where none really exists - since you have no real ideas or positions to expound?

The Dems have shown how hollow is their store of ideas with this one interaction. They have no ideas except to bite and scratch at the Republicans like a pack of angry Chihuahuas. And can we please stop spending money on NPR?

Lawrence is also a black belt in Okinawan Karate, Kempo, Jeet Kune Do, Ju Ji Tsu, and Aiki Jitsu (that’s five black belts under his belt). Still, when it comes to self-defense – especially for women – he suggests a firearm, and the knowledge of how to use it, is the most effective weapon.

“A woman is at an obvious size and strength disadvantage, and for her to protect herself against a man – who may be carrying a weapon himself – would take years of practicing any martial art,” said Lawrence. “Someone who is strong and athletic can probably study any martial arts technique and make it effective, but if you don’t meet those criteria, you need to consider what the best equalizer is going to be.”

For a person who wants to learn martial arts for self-defense, Lawrence suggests choosing a style that emphasizes practical self-defense – Ju Ji Tsu and Jeet Kune Do, for example – instead of one that focuses on proper form.

Still, his advise for the most practical and effective self-defense: “Get a concealed carry permit, and know how to shoot your gun.”

Here is a man, Scott Lawrence, who has 5 black belts in various martial arts who recommends firearms for personal defense.

As Col. Colt's advertising said, "Have no fear of any man no matter what his size. When danger threatens call on me, and I shall equalize."

The gun banners of Boston, New York and everywhere else want to make a small woman helpless in the face of a large rapist. Or any woman helpless in the face of a 2 or 3 or more rapists. [NRA-ILA]

"It appears as though (the victim) parked and was getting out of her vehicle to go into work that morning when she was approached and shot," Sgt. Charles Kirby said.

"So, apparently, the person was waiting for her to come to work this morning to take care of this deed, I guess you would say."

Miller then drove a silver Chevrolet Tracker sport utility vehicle to the far end of the parking lot, where she shot herself while in the vehicle.

The relationship was over. If she couldn't deal with that she could have killed herself without inflicting anything on another family. Michelle Miller (the victim) was a mother and a grandmother. Or Sawyer could have gotten some kind of psychological help.

Guns were not responsible, any more than the knife or the club (or what ever was used to bludgeon a 79-year-old woman to death) were responsible. The people involved were responsible. But that isn't good enough for the media.

Telegraph | News | Unruly home owners face eviction Tony Blair in a desperate attempt to revive law-and-order in Britain is proposing a whole host of police measures not subject to judicial review (evict you from your home for up to three months). He also wants to implement Clinton's vision of distracting delinquents (yobs in the British parlance) with sports.

As well as punitive measures, there would be an expansion of sport and activities for young people.

Parents would be forced to attend state-run parenting classes to keep kids under control.

But there is no mention of increased jail time for law breakers. No mention of allowing British citizens the right to defend themselves from violent attack.

Add to this the fact that Britain plans to to track everyone's movement by car convinces me that Tony Blair is turning Britain into a police state. Why should he really fight crime (prisons, tough sentences, etc.) when the current state of things gives him the excuse to play Big Brother.

Not very many women were getting degrees in mathematics in 1928. (Not many are doing so today.) Grace Hopper got her MA in 1930 and a PhD. in 1934. She joined the Naval Reserve in 1943. Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906 - January 1, 1992) was a pioneer. She was one of the founders of modern computing. Jane at Armies of Liberation reports on Yemen's New Propaganda Machine. Dedicated to fighting the opposition - which uses "democracy and freedom" as a justification - and to defending the "national principles of Yemen," which apparently don't include democracy and freedom.

Grace Hopper was the one who said, "It's always easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." (This is one of my favorite quotes.)What is the difference between a religion (or sect of an established religion) and a cult? Little Miss Attila addresses this in her post Dr. R. L. Hymers.

It was a very odd phenomenon: a church whose doctrines aped those of classic mainstream Christian denominations—albeit with a sharp fundamentalist edge—yet operated for all intents and purposes like a cult.

A very interesting look at cults.

Girl on the Right is involved in Canadian politics, and has been researching Stephen Harper's stance on A Woman's Right to Choose. While Canada let's a woman choose abortion, if she does not, the choices are limited.

If you work, the Libs want to put your kids in state-controlled (read: overpriced and unionized) daycare. They don't want your mother to look after Junior. They don't want anyone other than themselves to have control of you kids' minds during the formative years.

Give your kid to the state? That doesn't sound like a good idea.

Have you ever wondered where the term "computer bug" comes from? The Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator stopped working in September 1945. Lieutenant Junior Grade Hopper (who was always good with gadgets) was one of those who took it apart piece by piece until a moth was found stuck between the contacts of relay number 70. The log entry says "First actual case of bug being found," and the word went out that the machine had been "debugged." [click on the image for a large view of the log and the bug.]Romeocat of CatHouse Chat reports on a A gross mis-carriage of justice.

A Williston man who admitted repeatedly sexually assaulting a young girl for four years was sentenced Wednesday to spend 60 days in prison

Have to give counseling to the mutant. Can't expect prison to be punishment now can we.

Just thinking about this case, and how it could potentially progress infuriates me because of the protection and leniency that tends to be shown to these "victim" criminals.

Society has lost the ability to distinguish between the victims and the criminals.

In addition to her thoughts about Justice, Romeocat also offers us some Sunday Thoughts

Sissy at sisu has an interesting post on military blogging in Blogging as to war. The Army is waking up to the fact that "military blogs are a valuable medium for reaching out to soldiers." The MSM will scream about bias - as if they were not biased. Who cares? (There is also a great photo of Tiny!)

Perhaps [Grace Hopper's] best-known contribution to computing was the invention of the compiler, the intermediate program that translates English language instructions into the language of the target computer.

are taking their show on the road to the home of Liberace and those really tasteless Cirque du Soleil Celine Dion combinations, in an effort to combine all of the brainpower into one location at one moment--perhaps so the sun will explode.

I think my head would explode.

The Washington Post and the Detroit Free Press both looked at the same statistics and painted very different pictures of the US Economy. I took a look at this in Same Story, Different Spins. This comes under the heading of "Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics."

Amazing Grace even has a US Naval vessel named in her honor. The USS Hopper (DDG-70) is a 500 ft. long AEGIS Class Guided Missile Destroyer, generates 100,000 shaft horsepower and was commisioned on 6 September 1997. The ship's motto is "AUDE ET EFFICE" which translates to "Dare and Do," a favorite phrase of Rear Admiral Hopper's when giving advice.

And While I would have loved to put all of the information about Amazing Grace in this post, it would have slowed things down too much. I hope you will find time to look at the rest of Grace Hopper's Story.

Monday, January 09, 2006

amarillo.com | Opinion: Guest Column: Texas' Concealed Handgun Law - 10 years later 01/09/06 [BugMeNot is your friend!] So once again we have statistical evidence that the gun-banners were wrong when they claimed that a concealed weapons law in Texas would result in anarchy, wild-west shoot-outs and blood in the streets. The fact that they were wrong in Texas (and Florida and Michigan and Ohio and ... has not stopped them from trotting out the same tired statements in Wisconsin.) What is the reality?

Since the passage of the Concealed Handgun Law, the FBI Uniform Crime Report shows an 18-percent drop in handgun murders, down from 838 in 1995 to 688 in 2004; and a 13-percent drop in handgun murders per 100,000 population, down from 4.5 murders per 100,000 Texans in 1995 to 3.95 per 100,000 in 2004.

As for the people who get concealed handgun permits, they are not sub-human, they are law-abiding citizens.

In 2000, on the fifth anniversary of the Concealed Handgun Law, the National Center for Policy Analysis issued a report that indicated Texans with concealed carry permits are far less likely to commit a serious crime than the average citizen.

Grace Hopper (Amazing Grace) has to be one of my favorite people of the 20th Century. Since I am compiling the Cotillion Carnival this week, I decided to do a salute to her in recognition of the anniversary of her death - January 1, 1992. However, there is really too much information to be included in the Cotillion Carnival without overloading it. So I present the complete info here.Not very many women were getting degrees in mathematics in 1928. (Not many are doing so today.) Grace Hopper got her MA in 1930 and a PhD. in 1934. She joined the Naval Reserve in 1943. Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906 - January 1, 1992) was a pioneer. She was one of the founders of modern computing.

Grace Hopper was the one who said, "It's always easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." (This is one of my favorite quotes.)

Grace Murray Hopper often presented a piece of wire about a foot long, and explained that it represented a nanosecond, since it was the maximum distance electricity could travel in wire in one-billionth of a second. She often contrasted this nanosecond with a microsecond - a coil of wire nearly a thousand feet long - as she encouraged programmers not to waste even a microsecond.

Have you ever wondered where the term "computer bug" comes from? The Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator stopped working in September 1945. Lieutenant Junior Grade Hopper (who was always good with gadgets) was one of those who took it apart piece by piece until a moth was found stuck between the contacts of relay number 70. The log entry says "First actual case of bug being found," and the word went out that the machine had been "debugged." [click on the image for a large view of the log and the bug.]

Perhaps [Grace Hopper's] best-known contribution to computing was the invention of the compiler, the intermediate program that translates English language instructions into the language of the target computer.

Her compiler lead directly to the development of COBOL; a major step into the modern world of computing we know today. And there is still a VERY good chance that COBOL wrote your last pay check, printed your last bank statement, tracks your car insurance, ...

Amazing Grace even has US Naval vessel named in her honor. The USS Hopper (DDG-70) is a 500 ft. long AEGIS Class Guided Missile Destroyer, generates 100,000 shaft horsepower and was commissioned on 6 September 1997. The ship's motto is "AUDE ET EFFICE" which translates to "Dare and Do," a favorite phrase of Rear Admiral Hopper's when giving advice.

Grace Murray Hopper died in 1992 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, having become the first woman to hold the rank of rear admiral. Grace Hopper's military awards and decorations include:

My father has guns, my grandfather had guns, and even my great-grandmother had a pretty little pearl-handled .357 that she carried in her purse (and I guarantee that she would have used it to protect her ninety pound frame from threat).

How is a 90 pound woman supposed to defend herself from a rapist without a gun? Gun banners want to make the weak victims of the strong. [hat tip to KABA]

People who only have experience with firearms via the movies and TV are often shocked that in a defensive situation, a criminal will be shot multiple times. Sometimes they will be shot very many times. Here's why. [Not sure what is going on with the anchor for that story, but you may have to page down a bit to see it.]

This is an interesting article from the FBI dealing with law-enforcement shootings in which threats were not neutralized.

In the authors’ ongoing study of violence against law enforcement officers, they have examined several cases where officers used large-caliber hand guns with limited effect displayed by the offenders. In one case, the subject attacked the officer with a knife. The officer shot the individual four times in the chest; then, his weapon malfunctioned. The offender continued to walk toward the officer. After the officer cleared his weapon, he fired again and struck the subject in the chest. Only then did the offender drop the knife. This individual was hit five times with 230-grain, .45-caliber hollow-point ammunition and never fell to the ground. The offender later stated, “The wounds felt like bee stings.”

In another case, officers fired six .40-caliber, hollow-point rounds at a subject who pointed a gun at them. Each of the six rounds hit the individual with no visible effect. The seventh round severed his spinal cord, and the offender fell to the ground, dropping his weapon. This entire firefight was captured by several officers’ in-car video cameras.

These statistic surprised me. 5 hits with .45 hollow points and they felt like "bee stings." 6 hollow points out of .40 S&W and the guy was still walking!

Or the 9mm story:

In a final case, the subject shot the victim officer in the chest with a handgun and fled. The officer, wearing a bullet-resistant vest, returned gunfire. The officer’s partner observed the incident and also fired at the offender. Subsequent investigation determined that the individual was hit 13 times and, yet, ran several blocks to a gang member’s house. He later said, “I was so scared by all those shots; it sounded like the Fourth of July.” Again, according to the subject, his wounds “only started to hurt when I woke up in the hospital.” The officers had used 9-millimeter, department-issued ammunition. The surviving officers re ported that they felt vulnerable.

Though they don't say, I am going to guess that those 13 shots were full metal jacket, not hollow points. But if he could run several blocks, he could have attacked someone.

Adrenaline masks pain. As someone said, "pain is not relevant to survival." In all of the these cases, the criminal only "fell to the ground" when serious damage was done - severing of the spinal cord. I may need to rethink my defense strategy to include a weapon with a larger magazine. [Hat tip to Armed Females of America]

Resistance is futile!: Carnival of Cordite #42 As always, lots of good gunnie stuff. The Boy Scouts are apparently doing a terrible job of teaching gun safety, Xavier is doing a better job on that score - and he also scored an S&W in one of his pawn-shop-circuits and he has a range report.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Murtha and Moran were having a townhall meeting, complaining about the morale of the troops. Too bad for them a recently retired (medical discharge) veteran of the war in Afghanistan was in the audience. Bad for them, but good for us.

So the university added "six new student officers" to its security force and improved lighting. (It's sad to think it took rapes for them to do something as simple as provide adequate lighting)

“We are doing anything and everything we can to stop this,” said EMU spokeswoman Ward Mullens.

Everything except empower the students to defend themselves, of course.

Without access to some effective means of self-defense, the weak will be overpowered by the strong. The few, (or the individual) will be overwhelmed by the many. Access to a firearm is no guarantee of safety, but creating a firearm-free campus has created a defenseless-victim zone.

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